Other than the separation of morals from religion, and in particular from the teaching of the Church on certain great moral problems (such as contraception, abortion, sterilization, euthanasia...), another crucial point regarding the Moral Doctrine of the Church is that it is often thought that her teaching is out of fashion.
The historical evolution of ideas and mores, the updating of thinking to fads, would lead to the rejection of the theses of the Moral Doctrine of the Church in order to suggest, or even justify, a change of Catholic Moral teaching and a relativism favorable to the "amoral" tendencies of modern life. By proclaiming total freedom, the sense of duty and of moral obligation disappear, even on those points that are manifestly grave that bind as strongly in personal life as in social life (for instance, divorce, homosexuality, pre-marital experiences, etc.) The moral balance of the individual and of society is undoubtedly compromised if we admit such criteria, opposed to moral, legal, and political principles and, with even stronger reason, to the principles of Christian life. If Nietzsche were to be recognized as the prophet of the modern world, what would remain of the Gospel, and where would this modern world end?
Paul VI
Address to the Members of the International Theological Commission
December 16, 1974
